1 Visit Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge
It’s easy to get caught up in the numbers at Blackwater: 25,000 acres, 35,000 migrating geese, 15,000 migrating ducks, 165 threatened or endangered plants, and more pairs of nesting bald eagles than any other location on the East Coast north of Florida. Visit the refuge and you’ll come away with just one reaction: awe.

Hiking, biking, kayaking, and driving tours make it easy to explore its various ecosystems, from freshwater ponds and tidal marshes to deciduous and evergreen forests. Yes, this is how much of the Eastern Shore used to look.

Established in 1933 as a haven for migrating waterfowl, it’s been heaven for human visitors ever since. See fws.gov/blackwater or http://www.friendsofblackwater.org. —J.S.

2 Recite the “Pledge of Allegiance” at Chick and Ruth’s Delly
The flag may fly higher on the State House up the street, but nothing says “patriotism” like a grass-roots gathering of strangers rising from their morning coffee to salute Old Glory. Since Feb. 12, 1989, the Pledge has been recited at Chick and Ruth’s, a tradition started by the deli’s Ted Levitt and a bunch of regulars fed up with the flag-burning debate. “We thought, if they can burn the flag and get away with it, then we can do something positive with it,” says Levitt. “So the next day we did. It’s been 21 years.”

Show up during a national holiday—Veterans Day, Fourth of July, Memorial Day—and “The Star-Spangled Banner” comes as a side dish. The whole experience is bound to make your bagel and cream cheese taste better. Weekdays, 8:30 a.m.; weekends, 9:30 a.m. 165 Main St., Annapolis, 410-269-6737, http://www.chick-andruths.com. —J.S.

3 Explore the wilds of Assateague Island
Assateague Island has it all: beautiful beaches, tranquil bays and marshes, but it’s those wild, painted ponies— bellies drooping, tails swishing at flies—that get all the attention. Signs warn not to feed or harass them. “We kick and bite,” they read. But mostly the ponies don’t seem to give a darn about us, and perhaps that’s part of their mysterious appeal. No one quite knows how they got there; we just know it’s a thrill to see them. http://www.assateagueisland.com. —M.Z.

4 Walk the Ocean City Boardwalk
Ocean City may be known for sand and spray, but it’s those other sensations—the mingled smells of tar and grease, screams from Trimper’s roller coaster, and the cascading digital tones from the arcade—that you remember. Fingers salty from Thrasher’s french fries or sticky from a melting Kohr Bros. custard that is no longer frozen as you dodge bikes, the boardwalk hot under your feet.

To think it all started back in 1902, when a few enterprising hoteliers laid some wood on the beach so their guests wouldn’t scald their delicate toes on the hot sand. The slats had to be removed every day at high tide so a permanent boardwalk (five blocks long) was erected in 1902. It was leveled in 1962 by a storm, then expanded to its present length—nearly three miles and 52,600 planks. Today, even on gray, wet days, people walk, looking for a little bit of summer in the rain. http://www.ococean.com —M.Z.

5 Cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel
It’s a commuter hassle for some, a bona fide tourist attraction for others. All can agree that the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel is one impressive engineering feat. After it was completed in 1964, it was selected as one of the “Seven Engineering Wonders of the Modern World.”

At 17.6 miles, it’s considered the world’s largest bridge-tunnel complex, crossing two one-mile tunnels, two bridges, almost two miles of causeway, four man-made islands and 51/2 miles of approach roads. Vehicles travel through 10,000 feet of tubular concrete, which passes under the spot where the Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean. Once you’ve emerged from the darkness, stop for a bird’s-eye view of the Bay and a flounder sandwich at the Sea Gull Pier Restaurant. For the full effect, download the MP3 driving tour from the website. You’ll be a fount of bridge-tunnel factoids by the time you reach the other side. 757-331-2960, http://www.cbbt.com —J.S.

6 Go to a Navy Game
Truth is, the action on the field is only one of the attractions of Navy football. Before each home game, generations of USNA alums, family, friends, and fans turn the parking lot at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium into a rollicking sea of conviviality. And when those resplendent mids enter the blue-and-gold arena in precise formation, it’s downright soul-stirring. Add in the age-old service academy rivalries and you’ve got an athletic contest to remember, no matter what the score. 800-US4-NAVY, http://www.navysports.com. —C.D.

7 Ride the Oxford Bellevue Ferry
On Nov. 20, 1683, Talbot County authorized the establishment of a ferry service for “horses and men” and paid Richard Royston 2,500 pounds of tobacco per year (about $25) to operate it. More than 300 years later, a ferry is still crossing the Tred Avon River between Bellevue and Oxford, although, it’ll cost you $16—a large chunk of Mr. Royston’s yearly wage—for you and your car to make the round trip. The 3/4-mile journey is a beautiful (and historic) way to travel in these parts and a Chesapeake must. In summertime, the views of sailboats and mammoth waterside mansions are made that much sweeter with a scoop of homemade ice cream by Scottish Highland Creamery, sold topside. Open daily, 9 a.m. to sunset, April through Nov-ember. 410-745-9023, http://www.oxfordbellevueferry.com. —J.S.

8 Eat at Cantler’s
There are far too many worthy crab houses along the Chesapeake to include in this list. But Cantler’s is the prototypical crab house, the crab-eating experience in your mind’s eye. Sure, it has the requisite brown paper and wooden mallets on the tables, but it’s the long communal tables that elevate crab eating to the proper social experience it really is. By the time you finish your meal, your neighbors have likely returned a few crab claws gone astray, loaned their ketchup, and shared a tale or two of boating adventures. It’s that kind of place. The Bay-centric menu, posted on the walls, is as fresh as the summer soft-shells in the tank outside. Take a seat under the awning out back, and your view of Mill Creek comes as a free side. 410-757-1311, http://www.cantlers.com. —C.D.

9 Go Chicken Neckin’
Catching crabs may not possess the same level of adrenalin-pumping excitement as landing a blue marlin, but generations of weekend crabbers love the experience for its simplicity—not to mention tasty rewards at the end of the day. All you really need is a nylon line or trap, a dip net, and a chicken neck or two, and voilà, you’re a crabber. Pick a public pier or dock, open a cold beverage, and see what takes the bait. See dnr.state.md.us for current crabbing regulations. —J.S.

10 Watch the Tundra Swans Migrate at Eastern Neck Wildlife Refuge
You hear them before you see them— the honking, a splash, a flap of wing. Then you look to the distance and see a mass of white floating on the gray winter water where the Chesapeake Bay and Chester River intersect, moving, fidgeting, dipping, necks plunging. The growl of a motorboat breaks the dull hum, and the tundra swans rise, en masse, filling the air with their calls, moving like a white cloud to another patch of watery calm for now. There are more than 100,000 ducks, geese, and swans that use this 2,285-acre island refuge, but the majestic tundra swans are the migratory stars. Peak sightings occur between December and February. fws.gov/northeast/easternneck. —M.Z.

11 Learn to Sail
People have been doing it on the Bay since John Smith arrived in 1608. The powerboat crowd may blanch, but the Chesapeake, with its wide-open waters and ample breezes, is simply made for exploring by sail. Somebody dubbed Annapolis the “sailing capital of the world” for a reason, right? And to think that 400 years later, you and the good Capt. Smith could share a common experience (thankfully, without scurvy). Many programs offer sailing instruction around the Chesapeake. Popular ones include those held by Chesapeake Sailing School (htp://www.sailingclasses.com), Upper Bay Sailing (http://www.upperbaysailing.com), and Womanship (http://www.womanship.com). —J.S.

12 Read James Michener’s “Chesapeake”
It really should be required reading for anyone who lives in the area. Michener’s 850-page epic spans Chesapeake history from the 16th century up to the late 1970s. Even if the characters (and many of the places) are fictional, to anyone who’s spent time on the Bay, it feels as if this could be our history. Every time we read it, we get chills at the descriptions of a pristine Chesapeake, with its abundance of crabs, oysters, and “clouds of geese so thick the sun could not be seen.” —J.S.

13 Sail on a Skipjack
You won’t find many watermen earning a living on a skipjack these days, but for decades, these graceful boats were regular sights on the Bay. You can still get a taste of the old days on the Martha Lewis or Stanley Norman, two of the Chesapeake’s few remaining working skipjacks. Join the crew for a sail and you’ll find yourself appreciating the history and romance of a vanishing trade, as well as the gritty reality of contemporary oystering. Pleasure cruises can also be booked on the skipjack Rebecca Ruark, captained by the incomparable Wade Murphy out of Tilghman Island. skipjackmarthalewis.com, cbf.org/discoverytrips, http://www.skipjack.org. —C.D.

14 Charter a Fishing Boat
Let’s say you haven’t won the lottery yet, and you don’t have the means to afford your own powerboat with the latest fish-finding technology. Or even if you do, the experience of chartering a fishing boat on the Bay—with a captain who has been fishing his entire life—should be on anyone’s Bay bucket list. The key here is finding the right skipper—one who knows instinctively where the fish lurk, and can share his knowledge of the Bay as expertly as he baits a hook. The best captains, of course, send you home with great fishing stories, even if you don’t catch a thing. —J.S.

15 Check Out Historic St. Mary’s City and St. Clement’s Island
It’s important to see where it all began. When the crews of The Ark and The Dove first dropped anchor at a little patch of land in the Potomac River, little did they know that more than 350 years later their actions would be studied and celebrated. The settlers’ practice of religious tolerance set the tone for the new colony—as well as for our country. Walk the grounds at either of these historic sites and you’ll glean an understanding of how these early settlers lived—and how their progressive ideals still ring true today. http://www.stmaryscity.org, http://www.co.saint-marys.md.us”>www.co.saint-marys.md.us. —J.S.

16 Visit a Lighthouse
There are 22 lighthouses in Maryland waters, 10 in Virginia, and 17 in Delaware still standing. Some shine as brightly as they did when they were built; others have gone dark and exist only as quiet sentinels. Some have been transplanted and continue to shine as tourist attractions. Whatever their current state, lighthouses will always be some of the Bay’s most identifiable icons, familiar friends, worthy of a visit.

Visit a lighthouse up-close on a boat tour (try http://www.chesapeakelights.com, http://www.downtimecharters.com, or http://www.watermarkcruises.com) or, better yet, step foot on one during the Annapolis Maritime Museum’s tours of the Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse (amaritime.org). —J.S.

17 Visit Smith and Tangier Islands
It takes approximately an hour to reach these Bay islands by boat, but once there it feels as if you’ve traveled back in time. Menfolk still wrestle a living off the water, everyone knows one another’s name, kids run around gloriously unsupervised, and golf carts and bicycles are the preferred means of transportation. On Smith Island, you’ve got those big layer cakes; on Tangier, that wonderful Elizabethan English accent. You can eat the freshest seafood on either. Yes, both islands do have modern-day problems, but the Chesapeake of yore is something tangible here. Time travel, indeed. http://www.smithisland.org, http://www.tangierisland-va.com. —J.S.

18 Watch Ships Ply the C&D Canal
You don’t have to travel all the way to Panama to see the big boys float by. The C&D Canal offers the opportunity to watch ocean-going container ships, tankers, and boats of all sizes close up. The canal—14 miles long, 450 feet wide and 35 feet deep—connects the Delaware River with the Chesapeake Bay, and shaves 300 miles off the trip up and down the Bay. It is the only major commercial canal in the U.S. that is still in use among those constructed during the early 1800s’ heyday of canal building. Make a weekend of ship-watching at Chesapeake City, home of the C&D Canal Museum, housed in the old canal pump house. You can also get out on the canal with colorful Capt. Ralph Hazel on the Miss Claire (410-885-5088, http://www.missclarecruises.com). Those supertankers look that much more impressive from the water. —J.S.

19 Attend Annapolis’ Wednesday Night Races
Since 1959, it’s been an Annapolis tradition to grab a waterfront seat to watch the Annapolis Yacht Club’s Wednesday Night Races. Club members sporting blue blazers and cold beers crowd the upper deck to cheer on their favorite skipper and crew. From April to September, more than 150 yachts of all shapes and sizes jockey at the starting line at the mouth of Spa Creek and zip around buoys that lead sailors into the heart of the Bay. Finishes are especially exciting, as boats come screaming across the finish line directly in front of the yacht club, which dates to 1883. For those who aren’t club members, the best place to watch is from the top of the Spa Creek drawbridge, or even online at the club’s website. No blue blazers required. http://www.annapolisyc.com. —K.B.

20 Visit Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum
How many museums do you know with a real lighthouse and a full-size drawbridge in its collection? The Hooper Strait Lighthouse and the old Knapps Narrows drawbridge may be some of the larger items on display at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, but the smaller items—the decoys, the trail boards from long-gone steamers, the amazing assemblage of oyster cans—tell the complete story of a region and its people. This is where you go to learn about the Bay—past, present, and future. 410-745-2916, http://www.cbmm.org. —J.S.

21 Eat Southern Maryland Stuffed Ham
Ham lore has it that some thrifty cook once decided to stuff the boneless cavity of a ham hock with kale, cabbage, onions, and spices, and, voilà, a Bay classic was born. There’s something almost pretty about it—the contrast of pink flesh against the deep greens that fills this savory jelly roll, the tiny slivers of white fat, the translucent dots of onion. Of course, the whole effect collapses on sandwich bread only to be re-created in all its bitter, salty, spicy, porcine richness with the first bite. The experience is further proof of why stuffed ham has sustained centuries-old popularity as a staple at county fairs, church suppers, and holiday dinner tables. —M.Z.

22 Stop at a Farm Stand
“Produce!” You see it painted in capital letters on propane tanks and on wooden signs 3 feet high along Route 50. Sometimes the message is more specific: Lopes. Corn. Tomatoes. And later in the year: Mums. Pumpkins. Maybe, a corn maze. The stands are run by folks known as Pop-Pop or John and you see them every year when you stop en route to the beach, say a shy hello, notice their kids getting taller as you add a jar of homemade jam to the dozen ears next to the register. You may shop your local farmers market, but here the corn is always sweeter, the tomatoes always plump. —M.Z.

23 Tour the Maryland State House
Most of us are accustomed to complaining about state legislators, but harsh words can’t be said about the historic beauty of the Maryland State House. Completed in 1779, it’s the oldest state capitol still in continuous legislative use and is the only state house to have ever served as the nation’s capitol. You can wander its historic halls by yourself or stop by the visitors center for a free tour. Tour guides will show off the Italian-marble halls where George Washington chatted up the Marquis de Lafayette and the Senate Chamber with its portraits of Maryland’s four signers of the Declaration of Independence. Don’t forget to stand on the bronze plaque on the floor of the Old Senate Chamber where George Washington resigned his commission as commander in chief of the Continental Army in 1783. 410-974-3400, statehouse.md.gov. —K.B.

24 Visit the Eastern Shore of Virginia’s Barrier Islands
Along the thin leg of land that is the Eastern Shore of Virginia floats a chain of 18 barrier islands, which buffer the mainland from the Atlantic Ocean. Rich with white sands and shorebirds, these islands are rife with unique Chesapeake history. There’s Cobb’s Island, a thriving residential community in the 1800s, when hotels, ballrooms, and life-saving stations catered to residents and tourists alike. Then there’s Mockhorn Island, where a derelict hunting lodge for city sports still stands near World War II submarine watchtowers. Erosion and harsh weather have taken their toll on these disappearing islands, so you’d better see them soon. One of the best ways is via kayaking trips with Southeast Expeditions, a Cape Charles, Va.-based eco-tour company. Southeast Expeditions, 757-331-2680, http://www.southeastex-peditions.net. —K.B.

25 Down an Oyster Shooter
We’re not completely sure who invented the oyster shooter, but we’d be happy to buy him or her a drink. It’s really the most efficient way to eat the Bay’s favorite bivalve: plop the oyster in a shot glass of cocktail sauce, down it, and chase with a beer. Bars around the Bay offer their own interpretations, but we bet Annapolis’ Middleton Tavern has served up the most over the years. Consider it the Chesapeake’s official drink. —J.S.